A Jazz Resurgence

21-year old Quinn Bachand and his award-winning band, Brishen (Romany for “bringer of the storm“) are no strangers to the Toronto Jazz scene. And with their new album “Blue Verdun” they’re set to tour Canada’s Jazz festivals including the Toronto International Jazz Festival on June 27th (Yorkville Park Stage, noon), and the Burdock Music Hall for their CD Release on July 10th.

Quinn’s seasoned artistry has already earned him a tidal wave of recognition including the Saga Djangofest Award, WCMA nominations for “Instrumental Album of the Year” and 2017 “Jazz Artist of the Year”, a finalist position as “Emerging Artist” by Canada’s Walk Of Fame, a full ride 4-year music scholarship at Berklee, a quinn-tet of CFMA nominations, along with his international touring opportunity with Natalie MacMaster and Ashley MacIsaac.

With the recent excitement around LALA Land, are we seeing resurgence in Jazz?

I do think Lala Land and movies like that cause resurgences, and I wouldn’t be able to tour without pop culture representing jazz in that way. A lot of festivals are starting up and promoting that type of music which is very cool because it’s great music and culture!

I think the 30s swing thing has had a second or even third wave already and in pop culture it is just melting into this separate vibe full of new clichés caused by misunderstanding and misrepresentation which may hinder its relatable qualities. My band is channeling a lot of the back end of the swing era. I love and learned so much from all the guys that were around in the 30s but I also love what they and others were doing in the early 60s and how that pop culture influenced them. Pop and country music were in one of their best states and the production world was making great breakthroughs. My band is burrowing its way into that era’s sound and exploring directions for both the music and production style.

I in my own way am trying to promote different aspects of jazz with this project. Jazz right now is great but sometimes muddled with folks coming at it in a very academic way. A lot of new jazz musicians are making counter-intuitive music, which I actually think is also really cool in its own way but doesn’t resemble jazz anymore. I strongly believe that people should step back and look at the music as a whole. Too many people get hung up on a certain instrument or player and that’s when you can get lost down the rabbit hole.

I don’t know what’s to come for the jazz scene but I think the really early jazz has been milked enough and it’s time to put some focus on another era. As for Brishen, my goal is to make albums that represent different aspects of music that came from jazz. We’re touring as a 5 piece band this summer with saxophone, rhythm guitar, bass, drums and myself singing and playing guitar and violin.

You can follow Quinn and Brishen across Canada this summer as they hit festivals large and small, far and wide. For full schedule visit www.brishenmusic.com

June 27 – Toronto International Jazz Festival, Toronto, ON
June 30 – Ottawa International Jazz Festival, Ottawa, ON
June 28 – Old Church Theatre, Trenton, ON
June 29 – The Loft Theatre, Cobourg, ON
June 30 – Ottawa International Jazz Festival, Ottawa, ON
July 4 – Montreal International Jazz Festival, Montreal, QC
July 6 – Moonshine Cafe, Oakville, ON
July 8 – Utopia Hall, Utopia (Barrie), ON
July 9 – The Jazz Club – Waterloo, ON
July 10 – Burdock Music Hall, Toronto, ON
July 12 – Halifax International Jazz Festival, Halifax, NS
July 14-16 – Vancouver Island Music Fest, Comox, BC
July 21-23 – Islands Folk Festival, Duncan, BC

About The Author

René Samulewitsch @VIPRene is a globetrotter with a hunger for adventure, but at heart, he will always be an urban tourist with big love for Toronto. When not busy with his day job as a PR strategist, he spends his time exploring the city’s culture and entertainment venues. Rene has a passion for sharing experiences, and truly believes in the power of word of mouth.
Favourite place in Toronto: Kensington Market in the Summer as there’s always something new to discover. Queen Street for the urban vibe and King Street to let loose and party.